pouët.net

Cloakcoins from Revision?

Back in 2016, I got as a prize in an envelop 50 Cloakcoins.
I wasn't into cryptocurrency so I didn't really looked it much.
Maybe I downloaded the wallet app in my laptop then but couldn't figure out how to use the two codes (Cloak Address and Private key). But now I check again my laptop, maybe it wouldn't even sync (because of firewall?). From what I rememeber I never verified/received those 50 cloakcoins.

Anyway, coming forward, I found that envelope again and tried again on my desktop PC, installed the wallet app, it synced. First I need to understand if I am doing something wrong? There are no instructions where to use those addresses to enable the wallet with the 50 cloakcoins. I tried a "Verify Message" option where I put that cloak address but it also needed message and cloakcoin signature (which I am not sure what they are, I tried my Private key on the signature but maybe I am wrong here) and I get a message that it can't be verified.

But I have also discovered by searching on a site for cloakcoin blockchain explorer using the address I have, that there was +50 during the time of Revision (prepared for the prizes?) and -50 = balance 0 somewhere in January next year.

Does this mean:
1) Because I was too late to do the verify and receive these coins, so they got it back?
2) Is it possible that someone stole/received them first before?

A curious thing, there is a link at this transaction to a blockchain of other transactions and they all follow the same pattern. They are 10, 50 or 100 (different Revision prizes?) and they are all added at 25/03/2016 and then removed at the same day as mine.

I just want to know what's going on and if I can still get my wallet with those, or I can just forget it and not waste time with crypto or anything (which I wasn't gonna bother anyway, I just show the old envelope and decided to try again, but it frustrates me). If they are lost, it's good to know now and why, so that I close the case at least, it frustrates me..

OK, here's a very high level (and probably flawed) synopsis of Bitcoin (I assume those Cloak Coins work similarly):

Basically every 'wallet' is just an address (to which you can send coins). To send coins from a wallet, you need the private key (you use that to sign the transaction).

All of those transactions are checked by a network of computers and logged into the blockchain (the central, immutable ledger).

Coins are never destroyed (they don't expire). Once mined (by way of solving a crypto challenge) they exist and are attributed to a wallet/address. Inversely, the contents of your wallet are basically the cumulative transactions of you receiving coins and sending away coins. (Go through the entire ledger and check every transaction in and out of your address and then you know your balance.)

Relevant to your specific case:
- Coins do not expire. They lie dormant in an account until somebody transfers them away (using the private key to sign that transaction).
- Coins cannot be "refunded" or transferred back. (Transactions are one way. Once you signed away part of your coins, they are attributed to whatever destination address was set in that transaction.)
- Coins can be stolen if somebody gains access to your wallet (or the address/private key combination). This can happen if you don't secure them correctly, or if there's a flaw with the private key allowing it to be brute forced (weak algorithm to generate it, ...)

So from the looks of it, your coins were stolen by somebody who had the private key to match your address (either by brute forcing a collision, flaw in the algorithm, or retrieving it some other way).

I was reading more about it today, and from what I understand the paper I got in the envelope is called "paper wallet" and it would be even fine if I keep it and don't spend (which I didn't) or do transactions with that one with my private key, or alternatively I could make a new cloak address on the wallet app software, to transfer/send those coins to that one (and what I am not sure, would that mean I'll have a different private key in that account, which would make things safer if the original one got compromised).

Anyway, but the weird think is that at the link I gave, my cloak address was only one of these. But they are all packed in a single transaction (not sure how that's possible), they are all 10, 50 and 100 coins issued at 25/3/2016 (day of Revision) so other people's prizes with their own unique private keys, etc. But if you click on any of them, the same thing happened as mine, someone at the exact same date and time (since it's this single transaction with many retrieves) has emptied all these cloak from their balance, going to who knows where. It's not them, else there would be individual retrievals in random different dates and different transactions. Something like a massive attack has happened, and they would need to know everyone's private key which is different, not just mine.

My heart sank while reading this thread. I was a member of the CLOAK team and was responsible for this prize donation, and I'm saddened and embarrassed to see what happened.

I agree with Steltek's assessment above that all unspent coins from prize slips were swept to ButHESe1NSsywPqvTSsKdH8HdioGduK1dJ in this transaction.

It's absolutely unexpected and shocking to me that anyone from the CLOAK team could have kept the private keys for those wallets. Please give me a couple of days to ascertain exactly what happened here. I've reached out to the CLOAK team, but I'm no longer involved with that project and haven't had any contact with them for quite some time.

However what I can say at this stage is that prize claims swept in the above transaction, approx 9400 EUR by today's price, WILL be honoured by me.

Anyone who has a paper CLOAK wallet from a Revision prize with an address that appears in this or similar transactions, should please mail me a scan of the wallet to coldcity@gmail.com.

sounds like one of the people who generated the private keys thought no one was using those wallets anyways so he might aswell get a little rich him/herself and no one would ever notice or care. sucks fell got dragged into this mess, hope you can figure out the culprit and responsibilize them for the theft.

Update: With the assistance of the current CLOAK team, I've identified the owner of the wallet that the prizes were swept to.

I have also confirmed that this is the same individual who generated the paper wallets. Clearly this person kept the private keys and swept them.

This person left the CLOAK team in 2017 and is currently whereabouts unknown.

In the next couple of days, paper wallets in a different currency (LCC) will be issued to Optimus, Psycho, farfar and any other owners of the swept wallets that I can get hold of. I'll calculate exchange rates via BTC pairs on both coins. Please spread the word and put any holders you know in contact with me.

Fell: I sent you an email. Just a word (like I wrote you in the mail as well) - I hope you're not personally covering expenses because somebody else messed up? I don't think you should feel responsible or put your own money on the line, so.. I hope you're not! :)